Cargo of Coffins [NOOK Book]

Overview

If Lars Marlin had three wishes, two have already been granted: he has escaped from Devil’s Island . . . and he has come face to face with the man who put him there—Paco Corvino. But the third wish—putting a bullet in Corvino—will have to wait. They’re off to sea, and not since Fletcher Christian and Captain Bligh set sail on the Bounty have two more heated enemies been in the same boat.

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This Book

Overview

If Lars Marlin had three wishes, two have already been granted: he has escaped from Devil’s Island . . . and he has come face to face with the man who put him there—Paco Corvino. But the third wish—putting a bullet in Corvino—will have to wait. They’re off to sea, and not since Fletcher Christian and Captain Bligh set sail on the Bounty have two more heated enemies been in the same boat.

Corvino is a convict, con-man and killer who has schemed his way into a position as chief steward on a luxury yacht sailing out of Rio de Janeiro. And, in a twist as devious as it is diabolical, he’s managed to install Lars—his hated rival—as captain of the very same vessel. And there are even darker twists to come. . . .

Lars is determined to find out what Corvino has up his sleeve . . . and what killer cargo he’s hiding on board. But the yacht owner’s daughter proves to be a beautiful—and dangerous—distraction. Will Lars be safe in her arms . . . or is she part of Corvino’s plot—a deadly trap set with honey?

Like several leading writers of the day, L. Ron Hubbard was invited to Hollywood to write scripts, where his superior talent and productivity attracted numerous lucrative offers from the studios. But, as he wrote in a letter to the editor of Argosy magazine in August 1937: “I love to tie a yarn and try to make it blaze in print. The mags will never lose me to the movies. Never, at any salary!” And as Argosy gleefully responded in its pages: “Next to exorcise the Hollywood virus from his veins was L. Ron Hubbard. . . . he has set to work to give Argosy some more of his rousing yarns. The first, ‘Cargo of Coffins,’ is due to appear in the November 13th issue, and a serial is likely to follow.”

From the Publisher

"A master of adventure." —Anne McCaffrey

"Two escaped convicts, Paco Corvino and Lars Marlin, face off in Hubbard’s fast-paced high seas action yarn, first published in the November 1937 issue of Argosy. Some years after Corvino andMarlin independently broke out of French Guiana’s Devil’s Island, the men meet by chance in Rio de Janeiro, where the debonair Corvino works as the steward of the Valiant, a luxury yacht due to set sail. Corvino persuades the Valiant’s captain to hire Marlin, who’s an experienced skipper, as part of the crew, unaware that Marlin blames his hellish stint on Devil’s Island on his fellow escapee. Itching to take Corvino out with his trusty .38, Marlin, must bide his time as the equally dangerous Corvino fingers his knife. Contraband cargo (heroin) and the yacht owner’s beautiful daughter add spice to this taut pulp melodrama."—Publishers Weekly

“Also, about halfway through the story there’s a right-angle plot twist that would make Jeffrey Deaver proud, very effectively lulling readers in a false sense of security before shocking the heck out of them. A first-rate adventure yarn.” —Booklist

Related Subjects

Meet the Author

With 19 New York Times bestsellers and more than 230 million copies of his works in circulation, L. Ron Hubbard is among the most acclaimed and widely read authors of our time. As a leading light of American Pulp Fiction through the 1930s and '40s, he is further among the most influential authors of the modern age. Indeed, from Ray Bradbury to Stephen King, there is scarcely a master of imaginative tales who has not paid tribute to L. Ron Hubbard.

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Customer Reviews

woody1

Posted April 29, 2012

One of L. Ron Hubbard's best pulp fiction works. A suspenseful a

One of L. Ron Hubbard's best pulp fiction works. A suspenseful and fascinating tale of two bitter rivals Paco and Lars. The story begins with a chance meeting between the two men in Rio de Janeiro. Surprise quickly gives way to hate as Lars observes Paco standing against a wall in the busy Brazilian street. Lars clutches the butt of his .38 inside his shirt as he remembers how Paco, the con man, was solely responsible for his incarceration at the penal colony in French Guiana. Recently escaped, Lars delights in the pleasure of revenge, but he knows that any action from him will bring investigation from the police. Through a series of events, both men find themselves working on the same ship and engage in their final confrontation on the high seas. Hubbard's use of vivid imagery and character development remind me of a good Graham Greene novel.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted June 10, 2009

Audio that rocks!

I wasn't a pulp fan or an audio fan, but I am now. Really awesome sound affects and action! The story was great too I listened to it straight through with no breaks. My kind of story. I want all the titles in the series and am looking for them now.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted September 9, 2013

Great!

Wair until tomorrow to get more riddles!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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